remains to this day as a prominent landmark in Montross. There are few records to indicate who operated it as a tavern, when it was a tavern and what stood on the site prior to the construction of the current Inn around 1800. The grand old three story structure has endured the test of time, functioning as a Tavern, Hotel, Restaurant, private residence, boarding house, school and even apartments. Around 1975 it was remodeled and returned to use as an Inn and restaurant.
The Restoration of a Dream
Years ago, Cindy Brigman Syndergaard looked up and down the east coast for eighteen months, in search of the perfect place to call home. One day, years ago, she said her life was forever changed by what she found here. “I drove into Montross and saw cars parked at the courthouse, children playing in the yard of this old house and a couple of men working on a tractor nearby. It was small town America. I was drawn to this place and loved this house from the first time I saw it.”
Cindy moved to Montross and was managing partner at the Inn from November of 1997 thru July of 2004. She fell in love with the area, the people and the Inn itself. When the Inn was sold in 2005, Cindy returned to Atlanta and continued her work as a chef and caterer on a large scale for the corporate community. Cindy is a Culinary Arts graduate of the Arts Institute of Atlanta. Over the last five years, Cindy continued to keep in touch with friends in Montross. One day last year, she said that she received a phone call from current partner and neighbor, Rod Parker, telling her that the Inn was going to be auctioned. Rod Parker, of Parker Farms,
purchased the Inn on the day of the auction and as a result of prior conversations with Rhys Weakley of Northern Neck Building Supply; they all became the new owners with the intent of restoring the grand old structure and returning it to service to the community as an Inn and Restaurant. They are joined in the partnership by their wives Beth Parker and Nancy Carver Weakley. Cindy and Ken Syndergaard also came on board as managing partners, who will live on the third floor of the grand old Inn.
The House & Home Magazine 33
The Restoration and Renovation Begin
A monumental restoration, complete renovation and much needed expansion has taken place at the Inn. New windows, moldings, a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen, wonderfully appointed guest rooms and so much more have elegantly transformed the Inn to a welcoming and comfortable place.
The best of the old is combined with the new in a painstaking labor of love that has yielded astounding results. The sunny disposition and welcoming exterior of the grand old Inn has retained its trademark and classic Colonial good looks with the addition of a long overdue facelift that has elevated the façade of the inn to stand shoulder to shoulder with comparable Inns in Virginia. The new exterior color
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